Family Guy creator Seth MacFarlane has asserted that the Fox animated comedy is "surviving and thriving" and not likely to end "anytime soon."
MacFarlane reflected on the enduring success of Family Guy in a recent interview with TheWrap, citing the show's dedicated audience as one of the main reasons it has been on the air for 25 years. He also assured fans there is no end in sight for the series, which has over 400 episodes in the can across 22 seasons so far.
"It's still surviving and thriving. It still has a sizable audience and is a perfect example of there being an appetite for something. So we continue to feed the beast," MacFarlane said. "There's no indication that the show is going to end anytime soon."
Family Guy premiered on Fox on January 31, 1999, which means it's celebrating its 25th anniversary on our screens this year. MacFarlane admitted that it feels "strange" to hit such a milestone but also pinned its longevity down to the writing team and their ability to keep audiences laughing after all this time.
"I think the goal of the show is just to make people laugh," MacFarlane stated. "It delves into social allegory and politics now and then without question, as a good primetime animated show should, but that's always secondary. It's a room full of comedy writers who just want to f**king laugh… That's the mission statement of the show, and it doesn't ever really try to position itself with any pomposity as anything more than that, which I think in this instance is probably a good thing."
Fox renewed Family Guy for Seasons 22 and 23 in January 2023, taking the show through the 2024–25 television season. Season 22 premiered on October 1, 2023, in its regular Sunday night slot, but episodes will move to Wednesday nights beginning March 6, 2024, paired with the live-action comedy Animal Control.
MacFarlane has been pretty vocal about his relationship with Fox in the past, once saying that he wished Family Guy was on "any other network" amid his growing disdain for Fox News host Tucker Carlson, but it hasn't severed at any point, with the network continuing to provide a home for Peter, Lois, Meg, Chris, Stewie, and Brian.
Adele Ankers-Range is a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on X @AdeleAnkers.
